Rabbi's Blog

Every week I share an insight into daily life and connect it to the Parsha of the week. Sometimes the message is spiritual,  other times it is educational. I always hope that the underlying message of each story or situation resonates personally with the reader. I hope this week’s  message will benefit everyone (including me!) physically and spiritually. Technology has improved quality of life for everyone, but it comes at a great cost. Without keeping the benefits of technology in check, it can actually destroy a person spiritually and even kill or injure us physically.

Many things that you are about to read are not new; they are reminders and suggestions intended to maximize the benefits of technology and not lessen the life we had before purchasing the gadget. To date, the single most powerful mass-produced technology worldwide is the smart phone, which is basically a hand-held computer. We all know the dangers that come along with smart phones, but the specific danger of ‘distraction’ the phone creates while driving and during davening is cause for growing alarm.   There are statistical studies showing the danger of texting and general cell phone use while driving. Many challenge the use of statistics in that the data is misrepresented to prove a point. The idea of statistics being manipulated is summed up by a few great quotes.  Mark Twain said, “Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” or George Canning’s quip, “I can prove anything by statistics except the truth.”  Now some people will argue that, statistically speaking, they are willing to take a chance given those statistical analyses.  If you ask me my feelings about statistics, I would say whether or not statistics are overstated or overrated, we still should not want to become a statistic! Henry Clay once wrote, “Statistics are no substitute for judgment.”

I recently watched a video of a fatal car crash which was caused by texting. I also have come to notice more and more frequently how my davening and the davening of others are interrupted, curtailed, and destroyed because of cell phone use in Shul. I am guilty as charged, but would like to help myself and others work on this issue  - in the car and in Shul. In order to tackle the addiction, we need to use a formula or some form of method to reduce the incident levels of infraction to the point that we are able to feel comfortable driving and davening without an ounce of temptation to even glance at our phones. I thought about a method that is recommended for other challenging Mitzvos that need correction.

The crusade against smoking and speaking loshon hora/bad speech  has gained momentum and slowly but surely these issues are coming  under control. The ultimate goal is to convince ourselves that we have the ability to control  our desires; it is up to each of us individually to decide if and when we should activate that control. We cannot allow our impulses to encourage us to do something that is harmful to our bodies or to our souls. We all know that declaring I am never going to speak loshon hora anymore just does not work. One technique used in curtailing  evil speech or slander is to set aside a few minutes a day and commit to not speaking lashon hora. Smoking a cigarette can be postponed for a few minutes, delaying  gratification. This has been a successful method used to curtail  any sin. The cold turkey method may work for some very strong-willed individuals, but most of us will not measure up to that very large, cold turkey!  

I have challenged myself to reduce and eventually never take out my phone during davening or while driving. The technique that I am using is as follows: Each and every time I get into the driver’s seat or at the stated time for beginning to pray, I tell myself, ‘I am not going to take out my phone on this ride or at this tefilla service. I am not going cold turkey saying, “I will never….” It’s much more effective to take one ride, one prayer service at a time. Everyone should be able to develop the ability to put down the device, turn off the sound, just avoid the phone, or keeping it out of reach at least for a few minutes. If anyone seriously feels he cannot detach himself from the phone and absolutely must check an e-mail or feels that need to text on impulse, he has a serious addiction and should seek professional help. I would like to suggest that this cell phone issue and its resolution is found in the parsha.

In this week’s Parsha Ki Savo the Torah begins with the Mitzva of Bikkurim - The bringing of first fruits. A portion of this Mitzva is a verbal confession or vidui that the Jew performed the Mitzvos properly. In Devarim 26:13 the Torah states: “V’Amarta Lifnei Hashem Elokecha Bi’Arti HaKodesh Min HaBayis, V’Gam N’Sativ LaLevi V’Lager, LaYasom, V’L’Almana, Kchal Mitzvoscha Asher Tzivisani Lo Avarti MiMitzvosecha V’Lo Shachachti”: “You must then make the following declaration before God your Lord: ‘I have removed all the sacred portions from my house. I have given the appropriate ones to the Levite and to the orphan and widow, following all the commandments You prescribed to us. I have not violated your commandment, and have forgotten nothing.” Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, 15 April 1847 – 11 January 1905), also known by the title of his main work, the Sfas Eme,s asks on this last part of the verse: ”Just because a person fulfills a Mitzva, does that mean that he won’t forget about it?” To the contrary, he answers. “It is possible to forget about a mitzvah, even though it appears to the eye that he is doing the Mitzva. When is that? When a person performs a Mitzva without intent, without thinking about it. “He performs the Mitzva while remaining  basically distracted from the very Mitzva at hand. Only because he is so accustomed to doing that particular Mitzva and having performed it many times over is he able to continue to do the act without even thinking about it.   He is able to routinely go through the motions of the mitzvah while thinking about something completely different. Similarly we text while driving a car without even thinking or needing to concentrate on the road because we are so accustomed to it. This is forgetting the Mitzva even as we are perfunctorily doing it. The doing of a Mitzva must be accompanied by its intent, giving complete, total focus on the important act he is currently doing.  The method of curing the problem is alluded to a number of times in the Parsha. Take notice how many times the word or words of Hayom Hazeh ‘this day’ appears in the Parsha. It is a reference to do something just today and work on it day by day and time by time. The Sfas Emes specifically addresses this by alluding to some parting words Moshe said to the Jewish people. In Devarim 29:3 Moshe explains to the people that a person does not see the benefit or realize the culmination of something until the end. Moshe says: “Ad HaYom HaZeh - But until this day, God did not give you a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear”. He explains that all of the miracles and wonders that Hashem did for Bnei Yisrael in the desert were not natural according to nature. Only until now, after the forty-year drive is over and the long prayer service in Shul is complete, can we appreciate things that happen -  one step at a time. Only at the end of these one-time things do we appreciate the totality of the effort. 

As we begin to say ‘selichos’ we should keep in mind to be aware and sorry for the past misdeeds and not have to say ‘I am sorry’ when we can’t reverse the damage we may have caused to ourselves or to others. Please join me in taking the cell phone challenge (no phone during driving or davening) before we destroy the neshama and the body that Hashem will be judging in only a few days from now.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky